Too cold

Amtrak’s eastbound Pennsylvanian. (Photo by BobbaLew.)

“04T east on Two, 242, CLEAR!”
“Good grief,” I exclaimed. (I was in my motel room.)
“He hasn’t even made Altoony yet. He still has to make a station-stop there, plus another up in Tyrone. I might be able to beat him to Plummers.”
My train-chasing got better over the years. Used to be railroad-radio chatter, which I get on my scanner, was completely undecipherable.
Now I know 04T is Amtrak’s eastbound Pennsylvanian (even are eastbound), Track Two on The Hill (the center of three tracks) can be either direction, and milepost 242 is railroad-west of Altoona.
242 is also the location of a signal, and a train’s engineer has to call out the signal aspect on railroad-radio as he passes the signal. “Clear” means the track-section ahead is unobstructed.
“Plummers” is Plummers Crossing, a dirt-track unprotected grade-crossing railroad-east of Tyrone-station. I wanted to snag an eastbound at Plummers, and better yet it was Amtrak’s eastbound Pennsylvanian.
BOOM-ZOOM! Into the car with my camera.
I already glommed breakfast, a sausage McMuffin from Mickey-D’s. On to Interstate-99, which more-or-less parallels the railroad up to Tyrone.
Pedal-to-the-metal, 70 mph krooze. About now it’s pulling into Altoona’s station. Up past the Pinecroft, Bellwood, and Tipton exits.
“04T east on Two, 227, CLEAR!” 227 is Fostoria; I had my scanner in the passenger seat. I’m even with him.
“04T east on Two, 225, CLEAR!” That’s McFarlands. I’m still even.
I took the Tyrone exit, then 453 toward Plummers. As I started in I heard him calling his Tyrone arrival. His Tyrone stop is maybe three minutes.
I quickly parked, and heard him whistle off as I got out. As I walked behind my car with my camera, I heard him throttling up.
There he is! I’m gonna snag that sucker! Click-click-click-click; a snag-of-the-century.
This is what it’s all about, readers. The absolute joy of train-chasing. I’m almost 74, and I can’t quit!
I’m a student of Phil Faudi, my railfan friend in Altoona. I’m not as knowledgable, but I doubt I coulda pulled this off without what Phil taught me.
At home I monitor Railstream’s Station-Inn webcam in Cresson. I noticed snow, and I need snow pictures. Drop everything! I’m retired, and with no beloved dog, I no longer hafta arrange boarding. Off to Altoona for snow pictures, a 5&1/2-hour drive.
Not much snow in Altoona, so I figgered I’d go up on Allegheny Mountain. Higher elevations often get more snow.
Up to Gallitzin, the summit. Driving around I noticed a stacker starting down The Hill on Track One. Can I beat that thing down to Altoona’s Amtrak station, where I wanted to get a picture? Boom-zoom; Route 22 expressway down to Altoona, then park across the tracks from the station.
“20T, 238; CLEAR!” The double-stack was 20T, and milepost 238 is maybe two miles west.
It’s coming, and I’m gonna get my shot! Click-click-click-click; thank you Phil.


20T passes Altoona’s Amtrak station. (Photo by BobbaLew.)

That was Thursday afternoon; 04T was Friday morning. After Plummers I went to Spruce Street, railroad-west of Tyrone station.
Nittany & Bald Eagle was shuffling freightcars dropped by NS local C42. Nittany & Bald Eagle is the shortline that operates the old Pennsy Bald Eagle branch. Norfolk Southern has trackage-rights, so it’s built to the hilt.
A long curve approaches Tyrone. It’s a great picture, but needs telephoto. I parked roadside, and set up my tripod with camera and telephoto. C42, minus its dropoffs, went west, probably to Gray Interlocking, to get back on the main. C42 was backing, so a crewman was on the rear car, radioing the engineer to keep going.
Back inside my car, tripod and camera outside, I began waiting. It was bitter cold, but no wind inside my car. Finally here it came; C42 got a signal. Click-click-click-click.
C42 at long last, a local with GP38-2s; east to “the sand-plant,” per my scanner.


To the sand-plant. (Photo by BobbaLew.)

That was all I could take. My feet were freezing despite being inside my car. Normally I get two or three extraordinaries, plus 20 or more good photographs. My brother adds maybe 20 more photographs, two or three of which may be extraordinary.
This visit only got three trains, one of which happened to be an extraordinary picture. There woulda been more had it not been so cold. I had to return to my motel-room; to thaw my frozen toes and finger-tips.
So this visit was a washout. I been to Altoona near 100 times, if not 100 already. Three washouts so far, maybe four. And this trip was one of those.